1. Buy your gas in the morning or evening

Gasoline becomes denser in colder temperatures.  Gas pumps are set to measure the volume of the fuel that you pump and not the density. If gas is denser then you are actually getting more gas in a gallon than you are getting when it is warmer and less dense.

This means that if you fill up your gas tank in the cooler morning temperatures, or in the colder evening hours, that you’ll be getting better gas price economy. Filling up your gas tank later in the evening may also help you to avoid the rush of day hours and you will not waste gas idling while waiting for a pump to open up.

2. Avoid running too close to empty

Try not to drive your car until the gas gauge is on or close to  empty.  All the loose dirt that may have built up in your gas tank over time will be sucked into the engine. This is not good for the engine and will cause a marked drop in the MPG of your car.

In addition to the lowered MPG if you are at empty you may have to fill your tank at the first station you come across and you may be forced to pay a high price rather than wait till you find a station with a lower price.

Keep your gas level above the quarter tank mark if at all possible.  You should plan to purchase gas when your tank is somewhere between one half and one quarter full.

3. Turn the nozzle

When you have finished filling up your gas tank try turning the nozzle of the hose a full 180 degrees. This will drain a bit more gas into your tank; in some cases up to an entire half cup that would otherwise be a bonus to the next gas customer. 

Once you get into the habit of turning the hose you’ll find yourself doing it without thinking.  That extra half cup that you get each time that you fill your gas tank can add up to a lot of extra gas at the end of the year that you would have otherwise left for the next motorist.

If you fill up once a week and you can squeeze an extra half cup out of the hose each time, that would be 52 half cups per year.  That would equate to 1.625 gallons. 

In other words just by turning the hose each time you will get 1.625 gallons of gas free.  A two car family would realize over 3 gallons of "free" gas per year, all with just a small flick of the wrist.

These are just a few of many things you can do to maximize your fuel economy and gas purchases. Just thinking about gas and the things you can do will help you make a habit out of saving gas.